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King Edward I of England
King Edward I of England is the main antagonist of the 1995 Mel Gibson-directed film, Braveheart. He is nicknamed "Longshanks" for his height over 6 feet, and is depicted as a ruthless, tyrannical, psychopathic, and magisterial control freak. He is also shown to be emotionally and physically abusive to his son, Prince Edward, Prince of Wales. He was portrayed by the late Patrick McGoohan, who was best known for the role of Number 6 in The Prisoner. Biography When Longshank learn William Wallace's rebellion, he orders to his son, Prince Edward, to stop Wallace by any means necessary. But, Wallace and his army out victorious at the Battle of Stirling and then sacks the city of York, killing Longshanks' nephew and sending his decapitated head to Longshanks. Worried by the threat of the rebellion, Longshanks sends his daughter-in-law, Isabella of France to try to negotiate with Wallace, hoping that Wallace will kill her and thus draw her father, the French king, to declare war on Wallace. But, Wallace refuses the bribe sent with Isabella by Longshanks. Then, Longshanks prepares an army to invade Scotland and stop Wallace's rebellion once for all. Warned of the coming invasion by Isabella, Wallace implores the Scottish nobility to take immediate action to counter the threat and take back the country. Leading the English army himself, Longshanks fights Wallace's army at the Battle of Falkirk where noblemen Lochlan and Mornay betray Wallace. The Scots then lose the battle, and Morrison and Campbell, two friends of Wallace, die at the battle. Wallace then charges toward the departing Longshanks on horseback, to try to kill the king, but he is intercepted by one of the king's lancers, who turns out to be Robert the Bruce, a nobleman and friend of Wallace. Remorseful, Robert gets Wallace to safety before the English can capture him. Longshanks later loses his voice as his health seriously deteriorates and dies in his bed at the end of the movie. Trivia * Edward I was ironically the first post Norman conquest King of England who could speak fluent English. Even so French was his first language as it was with his predecessors as King. * Although he had a reputation for being ruthless and short tempered in real life, the negative traits of King Edward I were exaggerated in Braveheart. He never allowed the practice of Prima Nocta (which was never practiced at any point in time in the British Isles), he would not have objected to Princess Isabella giving the bribe money intended for Wallace to the poor (since he himself regularly gave generously to the needy and to the Church) and he never personally murdered any of his subordinates (although he did physically assault them and once even caused one to die of a heart attack after berating him severely). His physical abuse of his son Prince Edward is however historically accurate. * In real life Edward I died several years after Wallace's execution of dysentery while leading yet another invasion of Scotland. * In real life Edward I married a French Princess, Margaret, who was 40 years his junior. The character of Isabella in the movie Braveheart is likely based more on her than on the real life Isabella, who was a child at the time the movie took place. Category:Monarchs Category:Movie Villains Category:Live Action Villains Category:Control Freaks Category:Psychopath Category:Brutes Category:Military Category:Xenophobes Category:Successful Category:Elderly Category:Abusers Category:Arrogant Category:Fictionalized Category:Genocidal Category:Non-Action Category:Wealthy Category:Deceased Category:Rapists Category:Lover Stealers Category:Torturer Category:Archenemy Category:Parents Category:Sophisticated Category:Lawful Evil Category:Destroyer of Innocence Category:Faux Affably Evil Category:Failure-Intolerant Category:Pure Evil Category:Sadists Category:Oppressors Category:Misogynists Category:Corrupt Officials Category:Power Hungry Category:Tyrants Category:Male Category:Murderer Category:Perverts Category:Adaptational Villainy